Page 35 of Sweet Omega
“Happy birthday, Ludiin.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
Tarymn gave a short nod, then turned toward the stairs. Ludiin’s gaze followed him, his chest aching in a way he couldn’t quite name. Earlier, Tarymn had asked if he’d liked any of the alphas Luci had invited. The truth was no, because the only one he might like was him.
Chapter 7
Tarymn
“Did Deltta give you the documents?” Tarymn asked as he sank into the chair. It felt strange, sitting here instead of being at work.
“Yes,” Pitra replied, handing over an e-reader. “He loaded what he could onto this. Said downloading more would’ve raised suspicion. He hopes it’s enough for you to find something.”
Tarymn nodded, already scrolling through the files, his jaw tight. He just needed one solid lead to drag those three bastards down.
A low scraping noise broke the silence, dragging across the ceiling. Tarymn stilled, eyes lifting.
“What the hell is he doing up there?”
“I don’t know,” Pitra said quickly, though Tarymn hadn’t really been expecting an answer. The beta walked to the door. “Ishould head back. Your office still needs to run even if you’re not there.”
“Thanks, Pitra. With any luck, I’ll be finished with this soon.”
“Don’t rush. Everyone thinks you’ve been suspended for knocking Gyry flat on his ass,” Pitra said with a crooked grin. “I wish I’d seen it.”
Tarymn groaned. “Go.”
Pitra’s chuckle trailed after him as he slipped out the door. Alone again, Tarymn tried to refocus on the e-reader, but the scraping above grated on his nerves. Finally, he shoved to his feet and made his way to Ludiin’s den.
At the landing, he stopped.
Ludiin was hunched over a half-finished contraption, murmuring to himself. “Just a little more…” His hands twisted the screwdriver until a screw clicked neatly into place. With a small grunt, he braced his body and lifted, the machine’s metal legs screeching against the wooden floor as he heaved it upright. The thing wobbled wildly, threatening to topple.
“Careful!”
Tarymn lunged forward, catching both Ludiin and the machine. Air rushed out of his lungs as Ludiin stumbled into him. For a moment, everything tightened— searing heat rippling through him at the simple contact. He swallowed a groan and set the contraption firmly down before releasing Ludiin.
“Uhh…thanks,” Ludiin mumbled, stepping back quickly, cheeks flushed.
“You need to be careful, or you’re going to get crushed,” Tarymn said, his voice tight. “Fucking hell, that was close. Why would you…?”
“I’m sorry. I thought I could handle it,” Ludiin murmured, lifting his gaze for the briefest moment before darting it away again.
“Next time, call for help if you need to move anything heavy. I won’t have you getting hurt.” Tarymn stepped closer without thinking, the distance between them shrinking until the air felt charged. His pulse hammered in his chest. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Ludiin nodded quickly.
“Good.” Tarymn forced the word out, then turned away pressing a hand against his chest as if he could steady the frantic pounding of his heart, the fear from nearly watching Ludiin get hurt lingering. The rush of it unsettled him, putting him on high alert. He descended the stairs to his office and returned to work, but his ears stayed tuned to the faint sounds above, ready to leap up the stairs at the first sign of trouble.
By midday, the silence from above nagged at him. He gave in and made his way to the den. The moment he stepped inside, a steady, monotonous voice droned through the space, carrying the sterile cadence of a lecture hall. Ludiin glanced up from his e-reader, blinking at him as as if he didn’t understand why he was there, before muting the sound with a flick of his fingers.
“Need a hand moving anything?” Tarymn asked awkwardly.
“Not yet. I think I’ll be done after dinner. You can help me move it to that wall.” He gestured to the one beside the steel shelves.
“Okay.” Tarymn turned to leave, then stopped halfway down the stairs, looking back over his shoulder. “Don’t move it without me.”
“I won’t,” Ludiin said softly.
